Senate To Vote On Zika Funding: Ten Things You Should Know

On Tuesday the U.S. Senate will begin voting on Amendments that emerged after U.S. President Barack Obama's proposed $1.9 billion in funding for Zika control. But do they know what they may be saving? (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

1. The U.S. needs to decide what to do about the Zika epidemic, which is a real emergency and has reached the United States.

Unless you have been living in a cave or a reality television show, by now you have probably read many of the headlines about the Zika epidemic and the accompanying birth defects. Just because the Zika virus usually does not cause immediate death shouldn't lessen the concern. As Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and a world's leading expert in tropical diseases, explains, "The challenge with the Zika epidemic is the major health and economic impact is due to microcephaly and fetal brain disruption sequence, both perinatal events that would not be realized for months after the initial outbreak and virus introduction. Therefore planning to implement prevention efforts requires anticipation of Zika’s long-lasting and devastating health impact months downstream."

2. Zika funding probably will come as an amendment to a mostly unrelated act.

Even major emergency funding requests have difficulty getting through the Senate and Congress alone. Frequently, the strategy is to attach such requests to other requests that are likely to gain support from the opposition (i.e., "I will support your request only you support mine"). At this point, Zika funding will likely be amendments to the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations Act and the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Act. Yes, the word Zika or any related word is nowhere to be found in the titles of those acts. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell believes that Zika funding will have a greater chance of passing the House while attached to these acts and becoming law.

Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is one half of the Florida Senator duo that proposed the Nelson-Rubio Amendment for Zika funding. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Named after Florida senators Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio, this amendment essentially supports the President’s full request. While most Democrats favor this amendment, chances of it passing appear low due to Republican opposition.